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EXALOAN Wants to Bridge the Funding GAP of SMEs Across the Globe

Updated: 2 days ago

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024.

What Is This About?

EXALOAN started as a rating agency for digital assets and pivoted to bridging the massive funding gap facing small and medium enterprises globally. The Frankfurt-based fintech connects institutional investors with SME lending opportunities — tackling a market where traditional banks consistently fall short.

Executive Summary

  • This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.

  • Exaloan started out as a rating agency for digital assets.

  • We are always sharing new resources with you.

  • This show was made possible by Hessen Trade and Invest with their brand Invest-in-Hessen.

  • A startup’s journey can be a tough one, but it doesn’t have ́to feel like you’re alone on your quest!



New Blog


EXALOAN Wants to Bridge the Funding GAP of SMEs Across the Globe Startuprad.io brings you independent coverage of the key developments shaping the startup and venture capital landscape across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

This blog post first appeared first on old medium publication (https://medium.com/startuprad-io), and was moved to this blog with the relaunch of our website in summer 2024.


Executive Summary

Exaloan started out as a rating agency for digital assets. They developed into a global platform to connect crowdlending platforms and institutional investors. Since they realized that it makes more sense for them to help investors with the access to lending platforms and building of their portfolio in crowdlending assets.

Our mission is to close the global financing gap, which is a staggering 5.2 trillion US$, which means there are more than 100 m SMEs that are lacking financing.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

Tune in to our Internet Radio Station here:

With our partners we have created a tokenization engine, a digital asset platform, on which we can create a digital token for the loans, we have sourced from crowdlending. This is really a step to the next level. We are joining digital assets with digital lending.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

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Crowdlending platforms from across the world are looking where they can refinance their loans. This is where our platform comes in.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

Our Enablers


Invest-in-Hessen

This show was made possible by Hessen Trade and Invest with their brand Invest-in-Hessen. You can learn more about them here (https://www.invest-in-hessen.com/). We also run a dedicated sub-podcast with all interviews and news in cooperation with them. Find it all here: https://techstartups.sounder.fm/

We are a B2B marketplace between institutional investors and peer-to-peer lending platforms globally.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

A startup’s journey can be a tough one, but it doesn’t have ́to feel like you’re alone on your quest! Invest in others’ success with us by joining our community of entrepreneurs who are building amazing things every day — no matter how big or small their ideas may seem at first glance.

The new digital lending platforms, they are opening a new asset class. … their clients are not well served by their banks.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

The Video Interview is set to go live on Thursday, May 12th, 2022



2/3rds of the clients of our crowdlending platforms don’t have access to traditional bank financing. It is really about bringing credit to small shops and helping them grow organically.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

The Audio Interview

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I am passionate about two things: Capital markets and data analytics.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

The Founder

Our guest today is Luca Frignani (https://www.linkedin.com/in/luca-andre-frignani/), the CEO and co-founder of Frankfurt based fintech Exaloan (https://www.exaloan.com/). He is an original Frankfurt boy, with roots in Italy and Czech Republic. Since he is already very international, he spent quite a bit of time studying in France Lille and Nizza. He also spent time in London and Zürich. At one time he also worked as a quant analyst, developing investment strategies.

Development banks are seeing crowdlending platforms are a very important tool.Luca Fignani, co-founder and CEO of Exaloan

The Startup

Exaloan (https://www.exaloan.com/) is a Frankfurt-based fintech company. They are a rating agency for digital assets. It is also working with its clients to give them access to international crowdlending platforms and help them to build a portfolio. They are cooperating with platforms in Germany, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines, just to name a few.


Venture Capital Funding

There is no information available on Crunchbase about the funding of Exaloan, which they do on purpose. With us, you are again ahead of the curve with this interview.

They hint that they just closed a funding round and looking for additional funding in 12–15 months.


Exaloan is Hiring

They offer flexibility to also work from home. You can learn more here:

Interview with their partner Creditshelf



Further Readings / Additional Resources

· Trivia: Joe welcomes in a traditional Frankfurt way “Ei, gude wie?” https://www.dict.cc/german-english/Ei+gude+wie.html

Articles on the stuff Luca did before he started Exaloan:




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We are always looking for ways to make the show better. Please take this opportunity and share your feedback with us! You can also suggest topics or interview partners that you’d like featured on future episodes by leaving a comment below — we would love to hear from YOU!!!


The Interviewer

This interview was conducted by Jörn “Joe” Menninger, startup scout, founder, and host of Startuprad.io. Reach out to him: LinkedIn Twitter Email


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What Is EXALOAN?

EXALOAN is a fintech that started as a rating agency for digital assets and evolved to bridge the global SME funding gap. The company provides an alternative lending platform that connects small and medium enterprises with financing sources, addressing the persistent challenge of SME access to capital. The episode was enabled by Hessen Trade and Invest.


Introduction

In this founder interview, Startuprad.io explores EXALOAN, a fintech with an interesting pivot story. The company started out as a rating agency for digital assets before identifying a bigger opportunity: bridging the funding gap for small and medium enterprises across the globe. The SME funding gap is one of the most persistent challenges in global finance, and EXALOAN positions itself as an alternative lending platform to connect businesses with capital they need to grow.


Executive Summary

EXALOAN represents an interesting evolution in fintech — from digital asset rating to SME lending. The company identified the global SME funding gap as a massive market opportunity and built an alternative lending platform to address it. By connecting small and medium enterprises with financing sources through digital infrastructure, EXALOAN aims to unlock capital for businesses that traditional banking often underserves. The episode was enabled by Hessen Trade and Invest.


Key Takeaways

  • EXALOAN originated as a rating agency for digital assets before pivoting to address the global SME funding gap.

  • The company provides an alternative lending platform connecting SMEs with financing sources.

  • The SME funding gap is a massive global challenge that EXALOAN targets with digital lending infrastructure.

  • The startup's evolution from digital asset rating to SME lending demonstrates the importance of market pivots in fintech.


Entities Referenced in This Episode

Startups

  • EXALOAN — Fintech bridging SME funding gap, started as digital asset rating agency

Organizations

  • Hessen Trade and Invest / Invest-in-Hessen — Episode sponsor

People

  • Jörn "Joe" Menninger — Startuprad.io host

Topics

  • SME financing, alternative lending, digital lending, funding gap, fintech pivot, digital asset rating


Relationship Map

  • EXALOAN → started as → digital asset rating agency

  • EXALOAN → pivoted to → SME lending platform

  • EXALOAN → addresses → global SME funding gap


Quote Highlights

  • EXALOAN pivoted from a digital asset rating agency to a global platform bridging the massive funding gap facing small and medium enterprises worldwide.

  • The Frankfurt-based fintech connects institutional investors with crowdlending platforms, channeling capital to underserved SMEs across the globe.

  • The company realized that connecting platforms with institutional money makes more sense than rating alone, leading to their strategic pivot.

  • EXALOAN tackles one of the biggest challenges in global finance — ensuring that small businesses have access to the funding they need to grow and thrive.

Related Episodes on Startuprad.io


Partner with Startuprad.io

Startuprad.io is the leading independent media platform covering startups, venture capital, and innovation across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Europe. We offer B2B partnership opportunities for companies looking to reach startup decision-makers, founders, and investors.


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Frequently Asked Questions


What is the SME funding gap?

The SME funding gap refers to the persistent shortfall between the financing needs of small and medium enterprises and the capital available to them through traditional banking channels. This gap is estimated in the trillions globally and represents a major opportunity for fintech companies like EXALOAN.


What does EXALOAN do?

EXALOAN provides an alternative lending platform that connects SMEs with financing sources. The company started as a rating agency for digital assets before identifying the larger opportunity in bridging the global SME funding gap.


About the Host

Joern "Joe" Menninger is the host of the Startuprad.io podcast and covers founders, investors, and policy developments across the DACH startup ecosystem. Through more than 1,300 interviews and nearly a decade of reporting, he documents the evolution of the European startup landscape. Follow Joern on LinkedIn.

Support Startuprad.io

Companies building in fintech and SME financial infrastructure use Startuprad.io to reach founders, investors, and decision-makers across the DACH ecosystem. If that fits your goals, explore partnerships here: [PARTNER_LINK]

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